Needs And Wants
by Valenka
Summary: A twist of fate had thrown her into Charlie Manx's path, a twist of fate that only grew stronger like a vine unwilling to release its grip. She didn't know why but she was fairly certain Manx wasn't a monster. She'd known monsters, and though The Wraith driver wasn't 'good' she could still see there was goodness in him underneath all that blood and black.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N This is going to follow the TV show more than the book and is going to revolve around the middle to end of season one. We're going quite far from the plot of the book and I'm treating it as though Abe has always owned Parnassus.**

**Also, there are some tags in here that could be triggers for some people so, TRIGGER WARNING.**

**Older Man/Younger Woman, Past Attempted Rape, Past Attempted Incest, Consensual Underage Sex, Underage Drinking, Child Abduction, Past Child Neglect, Past Child Abuse.**

**XXXX**

Parnassus. That was the name glowing in pink above the rather unimposing door. S h e thought it an odd name for a bar but hey, the place had to be called something and at least it didn't have one of those stupid _Girls Girls Girls _signs up. The young woman closed her leather bound notebook with old fountain pen inside then tucked it away in her small messenger bag. Green eyes glanced around the dark parking lot, there were hardly any cars which meant either the bar would be quiet or that people just came and went the same way she did; the seventeen year old hoped for the former.

Quietly she stepped into the bar and practically skidded to a halt as she looked around. The place was exactly what one would expect from a bar, seemed fairly normal; no, what had her stopped was the creepy dude in a fucking clown costume. _Each to their demented own, _said her mind as she carried on her way to the bar where she sat herself down. The hubbub wasn't actually that loud, she heard a few people having their own conversations but most of the patrons seemed to be keeping to themselves.

Hardly thirty seconds had passed by before an older man with glasses appeared with what he probably thought was a charming smile. He was the sort that if someone met him in a darkened alley they'd be rather dubious about it, what with his overalls, unnecessarily large glasses and unkempt black hair, however, she didn't think he was actually that bad; unless provoked of course.

"Hi there, Little Lady." He greeted with a toothy grin. "What can I get you?"

She smirked, there was no doubt he was on to her. "Whiskey neat, and make sure it's not that blended shit."

That toothy grin of his only grew. "Gonna need some ID if you don't mine, Little Lady."

She couldn't help but wonder if this was a nickname he gave every woman that walked into Parnassus or if she was just special; looking around she realised she was the only woman in the building so maybe it was the latter. The raven-haired beauty rummaged through her blue messenger bag a moment then handed over her ID. He peered over his glasses at her then at the ID, rinse and repeat a few times, then silently handed it back with a knowing smirk and poured her drink.

"That's a pretty convincing fake ID you got there." He said as he slipped the glass towards the seventeen year old. "Where you get it?"

She shrugged. "I needed it."

The man in overalls thought that a strange answer but at Parnassus everyone was a little odd and half of them always spoke in riddles. He leant on the bar which brought his face almost unnecessarily close to her own.

"You sure you're supposed to be here, Jessica Jenkins? Girls that look like you don't normally hang out in bars with men who look like me." There was actually a hint of concern in his voice.

The green-eyed teenager shrugged again. "This is a safe haven for Strong Creatives, right?" And my name isn't Jessica Jenkins, that's just what my ID says."

That smirk of his grew and she could tell they'd found a mutual liking of one another. She'd got spunk.

"So what is your name, Little Lady?" He stood up straight again and took off his glasses to clean them. "I'm Abe. You gonna tell me how old you are?"

"I can be as old as you want." The raven-haired girl downed her drink. "How about you guess my name? Nothing better to do and my Inscape isn't going anywhere. Wasn't expecting it to bring me to a place so Country though."

Abe chuckled a moment then rested himself back on the bar. "Alright, I'll play. Bet it's something real pretty like … Lorelei."

She breathed out a laugh. "I appreciate the complement but nope."

She liked this, hadn't just sat and chatted with someone in years and she'd only ever met one other person like her and that guy was dead.

Abe continued to guess. "Charlotte? Eliza? Anna? Rose?" Each time he said a new name the green-eyed teenager would shake her head. "Cassandra?"

"No."

"Well, can I at least get a clue? There's like an infinite amount of names … and that was before folk started naming their kids shit like Audio Science."

Her brow furrowed. "Some dude seriously did that?" Abe nodded. "Okay, weird. I guess you can have a clue right after I get another drink."

Abe acquiesced easily. The sound of the rich amber liquid settling into the glass was bold and tantalising. She took a sip.

"So?" He asked expectantly.

"A deal is a deal. My name begins with A."

Abe rubbed his hands together as though warming up for something; like a prize would be at the end.

"Okay, I can do this. The letter A, not that hard. I'll get it."

"No you won't, my friend."

Abe and the teenage girl suddenly noticed the bar had fallen silent and totally vacant of all but themselves. Abe peered over his large glasses at the owner of the deep voice and when she looked to her left she found it to be a tall, handsome man somewhere in his early forties. He leant on the bar with his elbow, a cup of hot cocoa in his hands. She smiled softly at him.

"If this young woman's name were easy to guess she'd not have played this game with you."

She shrugged. "Where is the fun if it's easy?"

The newcommer looked her up and down. "Hmm, true." His attention shifted back to the unkempt man then. "Abe, a word if you wouldn't mind."

With that he strutted away from the pair and went to sit at a now vacant booth. The raven-haired beauty watched him go with a pleasant grin.

"Was he drinking cocoa?" She asked herself more than Abe.

"Best stay away from Charlie Manx, Little Lady."

Her brow furrowed as she looked back at him. "Why?"

To her the newcomer didn't seem all that much of an issue to her, just a little odd and hugely imposing.

"Because Manx is the most powerful one of us and the most dangerous." Said Abe quickly and quietly.

"He can't be that bad."

Abe chuckled half-heartedly. "Whatever you're imagining, he's worse. He's not a bad person, at least not all the time, but he's not good. Do yourself a favour and steer clear of him."

With that Abe sipped out from behind the bar and left her a lone in favour of joining his friend. The girl watched Manx's back for a few moments but the glare she got from Abe had her turn back to her drink. She sipped slowly while staring at nothing but the shelves of spirits. She could hear the two men conversing, something about someone called Vic and her being a pain in Manx's ass but the teenager didn't listen too long, instead she took out her notebook. The old fountain pen she tucked away in her pocket and chose a basic black biro instead. While continuing to slip at her drink she started to write in verse; something she did when bored or stressed, something she did when not reading. After a while though her drink ran dry.

"Abe," she called as she turned around "can I have another drink please?"

Abe glanced up from his talk with Manx, who didn't seem overly pleased with the interruption but said nothing just sipped at his cocoa.

"Help yourself, Little Lady. I'm going to be a while."

The raven-haired beauty beamed, hopped up from her barstool and went to pour herself another drink.

"Should you really let a girl so young have free range of your liquor?" Mused Charlie aloud.

She heard him but didn't dignify the other Strong Creative with a response, wouldn't give him the satisfaction, just went back to her leather notebook.

After a time the young woman realised the other punters had definitely cleared off for the night, Charlie Manx had frightened them off and they'd silently turned tail and ran. Manx himself didn't look as though he'd be leaving any time soon; he'd claimed his seat and Abe's counsel.

Thinking the whole night had been a total waste of make-up, she took some money from her purse and set it down on the bar beside her empty glass. She tucked the pen away and cradled the notebook in her arms.

"Right." She rose to her feet and threw the strap of her messenger bag over her shoulder. "Bye, Abe. Bye, Mister Manx."

She flashed the two men a sweet smile as she made her way to the door and then she was out in the darkness. Green eyes glanced up at the large Parnassus sign before looking around the parking lot again. The air had grown almost icy cold since she'd entered the bar. She took a deep breath, the cool air filled her lungs refreshingly.

The teenager couldn't understand why her poems had brought her to Parnassus; by all accounts it didn't make sense. They'd always been right before, but she really didn't know what to make of the bar. She'd asked for somewhere she belonged and though the raven-haired beauty had taken a liking to Abe, she didn't belong at Parnassus.

"You lied to me." She accused her notebook with a frown.

The teenager fell down to the curb beside some old-timey car. Frankly she thought the car kind of cool but there was something about it that kept making her look up at the car as though she'd find it watching her.

Her notebook was flicked open and her fountain pen found itself plucked from her pocket. Eyes like polished emeralds stared at the paper.

"You know you're not very helpful." She grumbled to the open notebook. "Maybe I should just go back to Kansas for a while?"

"The consequences of alcohol consumption reached you?"

Her head snapped up to see Charlie Manx stood tall beside the car as he slipped a hat that matched his coat on.

She raised a single eyebrow. "I only had three. Not like I'm an alcoholic."

"No, but only a child."

He kind of had her there.

"I'm seventeen, Mister Manx, and some people have to grow up quickly."

The elder man looked her over then, head to toe, toe to head. He appeared to be searching for something inside her very soul; whatever it was he didn't seem to find it because his dark eyes soon locked with her green ones.

"Tell me your name, please." His voice was deep and powerful. "It is very rare for me not to know a name."

_Does that make me special or something? _"... Andromeda. Andromeda Dixon, but that's a mouthful so most people just call me Romey."

Charlie's head tilted a little. "Such a unique name. Shame you aren't younger, you strike me as the sort of girl who'd have enjoyed Christmasland."

Romey breathed out a laugh, her breath turned to vapour in the night air.

"I've never had Christmas."

Manx actually looked disappointed, like she'd missed out on one of life's great wonders and maybe Andromeda had. Despite all that, people didn't usually miss what they'd never had.

"Your family doesn't celebrate Christmas? But it's the most joyous time of the year for all the little girls and boys."

"My family isn't really a family and even if we were, we wouldn't do joyous what with my father being a monster and all."

Manx seemed mournful but he didn't dwell on it too long. "Those the world tries to break are usually the strongest in the end." He straightened his hat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Miss Dixon, I have work to attend to." The old Rolls Royce W r aith's driver side door swung open unaided and Andromeda's eyebrows shot up; this wasn't just some collector's car, this was Manx's knife. "Good evening." He slipped into the car then, after a moment, rolled the window down to address her once more. "Do not return to Parnassus, Miss Dixon. Abe is friendly but there are many patrons who would happily hurt a young woman such as yourself."

She lifted her notebook up. "I'm used to pain."

With that Romey blew on the pages and the ink flew free like a drop of blood in a glass of water. Charlie's dark eyes followed it a moment and then in a split second both the ink and Romey were gone; vanished as though they'd never existed to begin with. Manx sat there a moment, there had been something mysterious about Andromeda Dixon and he found it fascinating.


	2. Chapter 2

Andromeda 'Romey' Dixon had spent a little over year on her own. She'd snapped right after her sixteenth birthday and just left in the middle of the night much as her mother had years earlier, she'd gone with nothing but the few basic things that Romey had managed to shove into her messenger bag. That time didn't make drifting any easier though. She worked odd jobs here and there that gave her a little income but they didn't pay much and Romey knew she'd never be able to afford more than the tiny, piece of shit motel room she had lived in for almost six months.

With a sigh Romey fell down onto the bed and flicked on the television; not like she had anything better to do. As the seventeen flicked through channels she found her stomach rumbling, sometimes she just forgot to eat, always lost in one of her poetry books or wandering around in the dark aimlessly; she'd always been a night person.

Slowly her mind shifted back to Parnassus and Charlie Manx. She'd always been a good judge of character and knew evil men when she saw them, Manx certainly wasn't a good person – at least not any longer – but Romey didn't think him evil. No, to Andromeda he was a gray area. In short the dark-haired teen was curious about him, wanted to know what made a man like Manx tick. He'd cautioned her about going back to Parnassus but she'd liked it there and her Couplets hadn't ever been wrong before; then there was the possibility of stumbling across the Wraith owner again. Still, that was something for another day.

When yelling echoed through the wall of Andromeda's ground floor motel room she sighed, the slut and the drug dealer next door had started fighting again. If the past fights were anything to go by then it wouldn't go on very long before the woman stormed out in favour of seeking out the closest bar. From what Romey had gathered – simply from the volume of past screaming matches – the woman had a tendency to fuck any dick with a pulse when the man went out. Most people never would have sided with a drug dealer but Romey had, he was the only one who seemed to care about their daughter who lived in the motel room with them.

Still, Romey didn't wish to hear the argument all over again so she turned the television volume up until she'd drowned them out. Not like anyone would call the cops or management would check on them; the motel staff didn't care about anything unless you'd not paid your bill or started a fire.

The raven-haired teenager finally settled on a piece of crap crime show to watch but she paid little attention, her mind still found itself focused on Charlie Manx and his handsome brown eyes. He'd warned her off Parnassus and she didn't doubt for a second that the dangers he'd mentioned truly did linger there, but, as Romey had told Manx, she was used to pain. Her poems and couplets hadn't ever gotten it wrong before so maybe they were right on the money and she did belong at Parnassus.

"Worth a shot." Andromeda said to herself.

That and she had liked Abe. What precisely had changed her mind Romey didn't quite know but she supposed it was down to the fact she'd not given the place a chance … and Manx told her to stay away; what sort of teenager would she have been if she didn't run head first into danger?

Suddenly the door to the next room along slammed shut, a harsh sound that bounced around the courtyard like parking lot.

"She's stormed out then." Sighed the seventeen year old before she turned her attention back to the show.

~X~

A few days went by before Romey Dixon made her returned to Parnassus. Those few days had been unseasonably hot and frankly the green-eyed Strong Creative wasn't a fan, she'd never been a fan of heat; would have rather been too cold than too hot since she could do something about being too cold. The sky was a bold blue with fluffy clouds that seemed like something out of a cartoon, the sun peeked from behind them every now and again.

The Parnassus sign looked odd in the daylight, didn't have the same luminosity as during the night time hours but at least the place was open. The raven-haired beauty pulled open the door and stepped inside out of the harsh sun. Inside she found only one patron who'd hunched himself over his drink like someone would attempt to steal it from him any second. No one else seemed to be about though, then again that might have been down to the fact it was eleven in the morning on a too hot Wednesday.

"Came back I see."

Romey spun around to see Abe who cleaned off his glasses on his sleeve, he looked as though he'd been doing something labour intensive like changing a keg.

"Well, the place is a delight to be in." Came her quick response.

Abe laughed. "It's a crap hole and we all know it." His glasses were slipped back on. "Why you here, Little Lady?"

She shrugged. "Not really sure. Okay, so my Inscape takes me to things I need and it brought me here."

Abe raised an eyebrow. "You think you need this place? You're nuttier than Manx."

Romey did her best to hide her smile and instead speak nonchalantly. "He's here?"

The overall clad man shook his head. "Nah, he's been having a few problems lately. And answer my question. You think you need this place?"

She stared off at the floor for a moment in an attempt to get her sentence straight.

"No, but my notebook does."

Abe's head tilted to the side, his mouth hung open ever so slightly; clearly trying to figure out what was going on.

"And what am I supposed to do? Just let you loiter around Parnassus?"

She breathed out a laugh. "Got a better plan?"

The elder man thought for a moment. "You never did tell me your name, Little Lady."

"Oh, yeah, completely forgot about that. My name is Andromeda."

He raised an unkempt eyebrow. "You got a nickname?"

That got a smirk out of the teenager as she straightened the strap of her messenger bag.

"Romey."

"Cute." He cleared his throat. "And how old are you really, _Romey_?"

"Seventeen. Just turned."

Much to Andromeda's surprise Abe seemed pleased with her answer and rested his hands on his hips as he looked her over. The older man was planning something, that much was obvious.

"Alright, I can work with that. You see, Little Lady, I've been meaning to get myself a new bartender, I know the place don't look that busy right now but it's early. You want to hang around here then you're gonna make yourself useful. That ID you showed me says you're twenty-two and twenty-two year olds can be bartenders."

Andromeda was hesitant. "Seriously? A bartender?"

"Ah, ah, ah, _Junior _bartender."

Abe thrust his slightly greasy hand out towards her to shake. "Deal?"

Romey thought a moment or two. Couldn't hurt and it would be nice to have a regular wage coming in, even if he did pay her in peanuts as she suspected he would.

"Deal." She shook his hand.

Abe grinned like the Cheshire Cat; wide, somewhat disturbing and possibly dangerous. Romey wasn't dumb, she knew Abe was far more minacious than people first thought.

"Perfect. Get to work then, shall we? Come on, Little Lady."

She and Abe spent the next several hours trying to turn her into a half decent bartender. This wasn't what Romey had imagined when she'd decided to return to Parnassus, but it wasn't a bad outcome. The bar was a place for Strong Creatives like her so maybe that was all she had needed, people with the same secret as herself. People who knew what it was like to pull imagination into the real world.

At the end of the night Abe had kicked Romey out into the parking lot with orders to be there at ten sharp the next morning. Romey could handle that, maybe she'd be able to save up enough to move to a better place.

She took out her notebook as she began the walk back to her motel room; she'd been mightily surprised when she'd learnt that Parnassus was within walking distance of her motel, no more than two blocks actually. Looks she wasn't going back Kansas any time soon, and wasn't Romey pleased about that.

"So, it looks like you didn't lie to me." She said to the notebook. "Sorry."

The sky had long ago gone dark and for the first time since she'd run away from home Romey felt as though things were looking up.


	3. Chapter 3

It hadn't taken very long at all for Abe to train up Romey, then again in a bar like Parnssus over the top cocktail weren't ordered all that often. She didn't have to learn to be Brian Flanagan any time soon which Romey had been pleased about.

After two weeks it was as though Andromeda had always been working at the bar, she'd memorized where everything was and had even surprised Abe with her strength when it came to changing kegs. Frankly Romey was half certain most of the customers hadn't even noticed she wasn't Abe. One of them had but that had been because he'd noticed her tits rather than her face.

It wasn't like Andromeda showed herself off, yes, she always had a bold lipstick on and winged eye liner, but that was more for herself than anyone else. Her outfits had always been simple really, she'd never been a fan of flashy. That day she'd opted for purple skinny jeans, military boots and a black racer back; nothing amazing and certainly nothing that flaunted her. She did have a fairly impressive chest which was exaggerated by the fact Romey didn't eat all that often; hey, at least she'd get decent tips from the guy. She supposed it didn't really matter all that much, no one had tried to touch her and the punters all paid for their drinks. With all that taken into consideration she could cope with one pervy dude staring at her tits.

Later that day Abe found Andromeda sat on the bar during her break munching on an apple; all juicy and green. He leant back against the dark wood bar and flashed her a smile.

"You alright there, Little Lady?"

Romey shrugged as she chewed. "Nothing to report, I guess. Been rather quiet."

"Yeah, always is on Mondays. Couple of regulars come in but that's about it." He looked down at his watch. "It's almost six and nothing is gonna happen tonight, I can promise you that. If you want you can go early, Little Lady."

Andromeda peered down at him. "You trying to get rid of me?" She teased. "And I don't mind staying, not like I've got anything better to do."

He breathed out a laugh. "Actually you do, it's called sleep. Don't think I haven't noticed you've not slept in days."

Romey chuckled. "Aww, you getting all protective of me, Abe?"

He brushed it off. "Don't go thinking too much into it, I just don't want you falling asleep in a beer."

The teenage beauty smirked as she chucked the remains of her apple into the trash can to her left then hopped down from the bar. She gave Abe a quick hug.

"Thanks, Abe, you're probably right. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah, go on home."

Andromeda took a few moments to pack away her things mainly so she didn't seem too eager and so Abe had chance to change his mind. When Abe wandered off to pour more bourbon into one of their regulars glasses Romey realised he wouldn't be changing his mind.

She hooked her blue messenger bag over her shoulder and pulled her hair free before Romey called her goodbye to Abe across the bar then headed out. Once outside green eyes peered up at the cloudy sky, the setting sun had sent everything a burnt orange that she thought rather beautiful; _rather nice night to walk home. _

However, Romey found herself stopped in her stacks when a young boy – certainly no more than five – charged towards her as a river of tears poured from his piercing brown eyes. For a moment the seventeen year old didn't know what to do, she didn't interact with kids all that much, but after a moment her head snapped back and she crouched down before the boy.

"You okay, honey? Where's your Mom?" She asked softly so as not to spook him.

"Don't know!" He cried.

"Okay," Andromeda nodded to herself "do you know where you saw her last?"

The kid couldn't have come far and she doubted his Mother could have gotten more than a few feet before she realised her son was gone. The child threw his left hand up while the other rubbed away tears and pointed over behind himself. Romey raised an eyebrow, in the direction the brown-eyed boy pointed was one of the busiest streets in the whole city with a dodgy looking walk way built over it.

"You're Mom is on the other side of the bridge? Seriously?"

She could see that being true though, there was a grocery store over there.

"I want Mommy!" He screamed.

"Yeah, I get that. Let's go look for her, yeah?" The child nodded in agreement. "Okay, we'll do that. What's your name?"

"Jake!"

"Great, and what does your Mom look like, Jake? She got blonde hair like you?"

The boy nodded. Carefully Romey picked up the the boy and started to carry him towards the bridge walkway in search of his mother; shouldn't have been too hard since she'd undoubtedly be looking for the panicked woman running around shouting _Jake_.

Unbeknownst to Andromeda and the child, Charlie Manx watched them from his Wraith. Abe had mentioned that he'd taken the teenage girl on as a bartender but Manx hadn't seen the point. Yes, she was something to look at a plain beauty with a wave of darkness that any man would find enticing, but Abe hadn't ever really been rushed off his feet at Parnassus. Still, it wasn't his bar and Abe could run it how he liked. Maybe she was a good bartender, Manx didn't much care, he'd become curious about her for a whole other reason.

Ever since he'd failed to decipher her name the girl had been on his radar. Sometimes he struggled with other Strong Creatives' names but Manx hadn't ever just gone blank before. Now he saw her helping a child with soft smiles and kind words and ideas came to him. The dark-haired man had once thought Jolene was the one he'd spent so long looking for, then – for a brief time – he'd believed maybe Vic McQueen was, but now the Wraith owner wondered if it was the girl before him, this Andromeda Dixon.

Manx couldn't just ask her to be the children's mother though, he needed to learn more about her first and before he did that he needed to talk to Abe about Vic McQueen again.

~X~

After Romey had found little Jake's Mom – Brenda, nice woman and worried sick about her son - She'd decided to treat herself with new wages to Chinese food. Andromeda had actually gone on a bit of a binge really; then again the seventeen year old couldn't remember the last time she or anyone else had treated her.

"I can pig out just this once." She said to herself.

Romey sat down on the bed and clicked on the television, it only took a few seconds to come across _The Evil Dead, _a classic which had only just started. She lay the take out bag flat and set the little boxes up neatly before grabbing her chopsticks and dove into the salt and pepper squid; it had always been her favourite.

"Mmm, so good." She hummed happily.

Normally Romey spent her time worrying over where the money for her next meal came from, even though her notebook always came through for her the money wasn't ever that impressive; thanks to Abe though she'd paid for her motel room another month and now she'd got enough to feed two fully grown men.

Romey munched happily and watched the old movie. It was peaceful and more normal than Andromeda had encountered before. Soon enough she was full and the movie finished, then the one after that finished as well so the teenager changed into her pyjamas and clambered into bed. Andromeda hadn't thought for a single instant that she'd been truly _happy _before she'd run away from home; until she'd left Kansas really. There had been some fun times with Duvall before … before he'd died, but that was about it. Now though, with her job at Parnassus and her odd but pleasant friendship with Abe, Romey had a chance at a normal life. Well, as normal as a Strong Creative's life could get.

~X~

It was Andromeda's Sunday off and she'd spent the day cleaning out her motel room of take out trays and other crap she'd managed to accumulate. The Motel cleaners weren't very good at actually _cleaning _in truth so she'd have rather done it by herself anyway. Romey had always been a rather tidy person which had meant the job hadn't taken long.

The sun shone high in the sky, all bright blues and golden rays of light that made the world look like a painting. She'd got no idea what the temperature was beyond _too hot, _but the gentle breeze that danced through the trees and down streets really took the edge off.

Rather than linger around her motel room all day Andromeda had decided to go to the local library and then to the book store. The library had got it's own air conditioning though so the teenager had lingered there a lot longer than intended. The poetry second she'd found lacking but that had been true in most places she'd gone. They'd got the basics of course; Frost, Yeats, Dickinson, Wodsworth. She'd even spotted some Poe shoved in a corner, but other than that Romey hadn't been impressed.

The teen had spent quite some time going through Frost's works and his assonance usage as well as his metaphors. Robert Frost had always been one of her favourite poets; the way he described nature fascinated Romey.

She'd been surprised when a librarian – a grumpy looking woman somewhere in her mid forties – had chased her out so the library could close. Romey looked down at her watch amazed at how the hours had flown by.

"Guess I'm not going to the book store then." She grumbled to herself.

Outside the heat had passed leaving behind a calm breeze and darkness. Small blots of illumination came from street lamps but everything else had gone black. With the day clearly over Romey made her way back to her motel room intent on an early night, Abe would expect her in early the next day so they could clean the lines and put in the fresh kegs.

The walk back was pleasant enough though short. As her key went into the motel door the sound of yelling started up next door and she sighed. _Why can't they just realise they hate each other and give up?_ Once inside she tossed her messenger bag down on the bed and went to flick on the bed side lamp; the room glowed with an orange tint … and Romey screamed.

There, sat still as a statue, in the tacky green chair by the television was Charlie Manx. Andromeda's hand rested on her heart as she tried desperately to get control of her breathing and thanked any and all gods that she'd not had a heart attack.

"I did not mean to frighten you." He told her calmly.

"You're a bit late for that." She fell down onto the bed as her breathing returned to normal. "Sitting in the dark might not have been the best way to avoid frightening me, Mister Manx."

"Again, I apologize. I had a long drive and wanted a few moments of sleep before you returned."

Romey raised an eyebrow as she turned to face him fully. "Surely you have a home to sleep in. Why are you here, Mister Manx?"

He leant forwards a little, those bold brown orbs shone brightly. "I wanted to ask you some questions, if I may, Miss Dixon."

She breathed out a laugh. "You don't have to call me that, I don't think anyone ever has. And you could have swung by the bar, but okay, what do you want to know?"

He flashed a glance behind himself to the wall as a door slammed before he addressed her again.

"Are your neighbours always so insufferable and arrogant of those around them?"

Romey nodded. "Yes, unfortunately. She's a bit of a slut and he's a drug dealer – well, that's not been confirmed but we all know it. I feel bad for the kid."

He seemed to sit up and take notice of that but kept his attention on the teenager.

"I confess I am curious about you, Andromeda." She'd have preferred Romey but at least Manx had stopped calling her _Miss Dixon_. "Please, tell me of your life before Abe gave you a job. You are clearly a Strong Creative and a very intelligent woman, so you will understand my confusion when I see you here -" he gestured to the crappy motel room around them "- instead of at school where you could broaden your horizon."

"You want my life story?" She simplified with a furrowed brow.

Manx nodded. "If you wouldn't mind. I think you might be someone I've been looking for but I won't know for certain until I know you."

"If I tell you, will you tell me why you think I'm so important?" She shot back.

Charlie flashed her a small, charming smile. "Certainly, Andromeda."

The raven-haired beauty wasn't overly sure why – Abe had told her in on uncertain terms that the man was dangerous – but Romey liked Manx, thought he was handsome and smart. Those were the reasons she found herself agreeing with the man who'd just broken into her motel room.

"Okay. If it's that important to you, why not, isn't like it's worth hiding." She shrugged. "Were do you want me to start?"

"Where were you born?" He asked in that deep tone of his.

"Em, Kansas. This little, tiny town that I promise you haven't heard of. My Mom dropped out of college to marry my Dad and have me, became a stay at home Mom. She was a mythology student, that's why I got dumped with Andromeda for a name."

"If my memory serves me correctly," he began slowly "Andromeda was the beautiful daughter of a king. The name suits you."

She breathed out a laugh, no one had ever said she was beautiful before. "She was also chained to a rock because her mother was a boastful idiot."

He nodded. "Yes, but that ended strangely well. Perseus, the tall and brave hero stumbled across her and turned the creature that guarded her to stone. He freed her and married her, they were happy and had several children."

"I think all that story proves is that the only thing to save us is often dumb luck."

"That and a Gorgon's head." That made Romey chuckle, yes, she liked Charlie Manx. "What about your father, you made it quite clear last time we spoke that you did not like him."

"That's putting it mildly, Mister Manx. My father is a monster. I don't remember a time he wasn't beating my mother. He was smart though, never left marks."

"You could have told someone."

"No. My father is the Sheriff of a tiny, all American Kansas town. People there think he's perfect and he actually managed to con me into believing no one would believe a word I said; made my Mom think that too. One night, I got up for a glass of water – couldn't have been more than six – and I saw her at the front door with a suitcase. She didn't even look back when I called out to her, just walked out and never came back."

"What sort of mother would leave their child alone with an abusive father?"

Romey shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I looked too much like my Dad. Maybe she convinced herself he wouldn't hurt me."

Manx didn't look impressed. "Or maybe she was a heartless whore who chose to only care for herself rather than the child she didn't deserve."

She nodded. "Could be. Either way he started beating the shit out of me the next morning. I got used to it."

The dark-haired man frowned; a glow of anger lingered in his rich brown eyes.

"No child should have to _get used to it_." He bit the last words out. "I am sorry I did not find you sooner."

That caused Romey's brow to furrow in puzzlement for a moment. Find her? Why would a man like Charlie Manx search out a child?

"I don't understand, Mister Manx." Her voice was soft.

He shuffled forwards in his chair then looking eager to explain but uncertain as to how to do so. When he spoke his hands moved along with him as though gesturing to things that didn't actually exist.

"It's what I do, protect children. I take them from abusive homes, places where the parents don't care or even notice the child is gone and I give them a home at Christmasland. No one hurts them there, they don't go hungry, they have siblings to play with and no one is unhappy."

Quiet lingered between them for a few seconds as Romey tried to absorb all he'd said.

"So, you run an orphanage?"

Manx smiled softly, he was pleased Romey seemed receptive to the idea of Christmasland and the children he took there.

"Not quite." He paused for a moment as he phrased the sentence in his head. "It's more like adoption, I become their father and protect them." He sighed. "I am so sorry I did not find you when you were young."

Andromeda actually believed him, there was a spark of sorrow in his eyes that made her truly believe he regretted not taking her to this Christmasland he spoke of; that he genuinely wanted to protect children.

"That's the way of things right, some always slip through the cracks. Maybe I just wasn't supposed to be one of your kids."

"No, maybe not." Manx nodded in agreement; he didn't think so either. "When did you leave Kansas? Something had to prompt your under-age employment at Parnassus."

Andromeda didn't speak for a very long time and for much of that time she kept her eyes closed as though trying to keep horrid memories away. Just when he thought he'd have to ask again she finally spoke.

"... Right around the time I turned sixteen my Dad suddenly stopped hitting me. At first I was happy but … then he started giving me gifts; skirts, jewellery, make up, stuff like that." She started to fidget with her hands in her lap. "Then it got worse. He'd tell me to sit in his lap and he forced me to keep my door open when I got changed so he could watch me. I guess I'd gotten old enough for him because he started touching me all the time … all over."

Manx's face became stoic and stern, his eyes darkened to near black and any kindness that had been in his eyes before fled.

"So not only are you impure, but you were defiled by your own father."

Suddenly the elder man launched to his feet, he ripped the lamp from where it sat and threw it at the floor; the sound of smashed glass echoed around the room and off the ceiling. Romey pushed herself back up against the headboard as her eyes wend wide.

"Why can I never find her?!" He yelled and stormed to the motel door.

"... What did I do?" Romey asked with a tone so quiet that Manx almost didn't hear her.

"Nothing." He growled with his back to her, his hand gripped the door handle tight. "You're father did it. He defiled you and once again the children have to go without. Good evening, Andromeda."

With that Charlie Manx was gone, marched out into the night with anger practically dripping from him. The Wraith's engine purred as he left the motel.

After he was gone Romey relaxed slightly on the bed as she got her breathing under control. Green eyes stared at the door Charlie had slammed behind himself a few moments earlier.

_Defiled?_ "... but I'm a virgin."


	4. Chapter 4

When Romey came in to the bar Abe could tell something was wrong; the girl looked like a kicked dog. Deep down he knew the answer as to who had caused it but the unkempt man still asked.

"What happened, Romey?" He asked as he cleaned his spectacles on his overalls. "Thought you'd have been in post book store bliss."

"Never got that far." She tossed her bag and leather jacket down on the black top bar and snatched up her apron so she could tie it around her waist.

Abe slipped his the oversized eyeglasses back on. "okay, so we've gone from Diane to Carla in under a second. Come on, what happened?"

"Why don't you ask you friend, Manx. He's an assuming dickhead by the way."

Her fellow Strong Creative chuckled. "Yeah he is. What he do?"

Abe wasn't dumb, he knew Charlie had taken a shine to Andromeda and because he wasn't dumb he'd known it wouldn't end well.

Romey sighed. When she spoke again her tone was far less hostile. "I lost track of time at the library so I never got to the book store. Then when I got back to my motel he was just sat there in the dark like some sort of stealth Sloth." Abe snorted. "He freaked the crap out of me, demanded my life story then basically called me a whore, broke my lamp and stormed out."

"Charlie has always been a bit temperamental."

The green-eyed beauty flashed the elder man a look. "Putting it a bit mildly there, Abe. I mean what is he even looking for?"

Abe paused. "I shouldn't tell you, he wouldn't appreciate it, but it looks like his interest in you is over. That's actually good."

Andromeda leant on the bar and ran a hand through her long raven hair. While somewhat distracted Abe took the opportunity to look her over, he could understand why Manx had instantly been drawn to her what with her porcelain skin, piercing green eyes lined in black and slender frame. Abe had to admit he himself found her stunningly attractive though he'd never touch her. The way she'd matched her blue boots to her lipstick amused him as well, she always had some bold color on her lips but it never seemed too much.

"Why are the cute ones always nuts?" She grumbled more to herself than her boss.

Abe breathed out a laugh. "You think he's cute?"

She flashed him that look again. "You've seen him, Abe, he's all tall, dark and handsome. His voice is deep and sort of intoxicating. And I _thought_ he was rather gentleman like until the whole defiled whore rant."

Women always fell for Charlie easily, for all the reasons Andromeda had listed but none of them ever stayed when they really got to know him. In truth Abe felt bad for the immortal but at the same time it was better he left Andromeda alone, after what he'd done to Jolene and soon Vic as well Abe didn't really want him around Romey; that girl didn't deserve such a fate.

"I told you to stay away from him, Little Lady."

"Yeah, kind of can't if he shows up where I live."

In a very un-Abe-like move he wrapped an arm around the teenager and brought her head to rest on his chest. He'd half expected her to fight him but no, Andromeda went willingly, in fact she actually settled against him as though she appreciated his touch.

"Thanks, Abe." Romey's voice was soft as slik.

"I won't tell you what he's looking for but it's something very specific and both times Charlie has thought he's found it something happens to rip it away." When the hell did he take this girl under his wing? "You've not done anything wrong, Little Lady, he's just frustrated."

Romey breathed out a laugh. "Or the aforementioned dickhead."

Abe roared with laughter, she heard it through his chest, a deep rumble that reminded her of Duvall. The older man smelt faintly of beer and something she could only describe as _bar_ _smell_ but in a way Romey had come to find it comforting.

"Come on, Little Lady, let's get to work. That'll soon take your mind of Charlie. We've got stuff to prepare for."

Andromeda rasied an eyebrow as she peered up at him. "Prepare? You make it sound like we're going to DEFCON 1."

Abe shrugged. "We kinda are. It's Halloween in two weeks and this place gets crazy around them. Imagination runs riot on Halloween so Strong Creatives get more active."

"Oh yeah?" She finally stood up straight and tucked a stray lock of raven hair behind her ear little feather earrings. "How long before Krusty the Clown comes in?"

"Be nice." He mock cautioned and then the two set to work.

~X~

A couple of days had sailed by since _The Incident _as Romey had mentally dubbed it. Manx hadn't made an appearance at her motel room nor at Parnassus and things had settled back into her new normal. In fact if things kept going the way they were Andromeda might have been able near enough money for a tiny apartment. Okay, that was an exaggeration, maybe a nicer motel room was a more achievable goal. Even better was the realization that she didn't have to go back to fucking Kansas; nice place, terrible memories.

Still, if she wanted a better place to call home she'd have to save which meant no treats, certainly not like the ones on her feet. Andromeda hadn't ever been an overly materialistic person but goddamnit the shoes were cute and she'd wanted them. They weren't anything too grand, simple really. Black platform stilettos with cute little lace up bows on the back. They matched her black dress with Peter Pan collar too well to say no. Romey might not have been a materialistic person but heels could be her weakness; a weakness she'd not discovered until she'd had a regular wage.

She sat watching _Supernatural_ in a slightly dark room thanks to Manx's little lamp murder fit. Romey had found herself nodding off though. She'd had a long day at Parnassus and the heat had been sweltering, now that the sun had gone down and the hour had grown late Romey just wanted some sleep. Since the teenager had started working regular hours the fact she didn't sleep all that often had finally caught up with her.

Just as Romey started to debate getting up, taking off her make-up and going to bed she heard a thud come from next door. It had sounded like something dense smashing into the paper thin wall. The green-eyed teenager knew that noise well, it had been her own head many times before curiosity of her father so Romey was well acquainted with that horrid sound. Yes, her neighbours yelled at one another on a regular basis but not once had either of them struck the other.

With caution she got up from the bed and stepped towards her motel room door, there she paused. Romey wanted to check on them but at the same time she wasn't sure if her intervening was a good idea. The raven-haired beauty must have stood there a good thirty seconds with her hand on the doorknob while her mind went through a list of pros and cons, however, in the end, she'd thrown caution to the wind and stepped outside; there was a little girl next door.

As soon as Romey turned to her right she saw something that forced her to a halt. Parked with headlights facing her neighbours' door was The Wraith. Manx had his back to her as he ushered the little girl into the back seat and for a moment it Romey had no idea what to do.

"Mister Manx, what's going on?" She asked before fully realizing she'd spoken.

He spun around to face her but when the headlights lit his face she found an elderly man staring back at her rather than the handsome Charlie Manx.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else." She glanced at the car and then at the blue coat the elderly man wore suspiciously. "Where did you get that Wraith?"

"A closely guarded secret, Andromeda."

Her eyes went wide. "How do you know-"

"Your name?" He finished for her. "Do not let my current appearance fool you, I am still Charlie Manx."

"How?" She stepped a little closer, her heels clacked against the concrete.

"You need not know that. Just go back to your room, defiled one."

When he'd first called her defiled she'd been upset, hurt even, but after a few days of it settling in she'd managed to push it away. It seemed Romey had been wrong and instead of pushing it away it had just settled into anger. Her eyes darkened as she moved closer still and suddenly shoved Manx, she'd not meant to but Romey was sick of being told she was worthless, or a whore, or whatever other name her father came up with for her, she'd not let Manx start as well.

It had been little more than a shove but the sudden surprise of it and his elderly frame gave out. Manx tumbled down to the ground before his Wraith and when he looked up he found the sight beautiful. Andromeda Dixon stood above him in completely impractical but sexy as hell heels, a dress that only worked to show of her chest without actually revealing any cleavage, bold eyes lined in black and a rich green lipstick. He'd thought of other words to describe Romey but this was the first time powerful came to mind.

"I'm not defiled!" She hissed at a volume loud enough to be considered yelling but not so loud that it would draw attention from the other residents. "I'm a virgin, you jumped to conclusions."

Manx raised an aged eyebrow as Romey's face fell.

"Virgin." He said to himself.

Just as he made to struggle to his feet Bing marched out of the motel room with a deep frown, clearly the noise had drawn his attention. He took one look at his boss down on the cold floor and one at Andromeda then he just launched. Before Romey could so much as take a step backwards Bing had her pinned against the wall by her throat, she tried desperately to push him off of her but it was no use, Bing was just too big and strong. She scratched at his chubby hands but the bearded man didn't budge an inch. Her head throbbed, if it was the lack of blood getting to her brain or where her head had bounced off the cold brick wall Romey didn't have the metal capacity to figure out in that moment. The cartilage in her oesophagus crackled and screamed; a noise that reverberated through her ears agonizingly.

"Bing! Put her down!"

The bearded man's grip wavered as his head snapped down to an elderly Manx who still sat slumped on the floor.

"... But, she pushed you. She's bad." Bing tried to reason but Manx fixed him with a stern glare.

"Now, Bing!"

The sharp tone startled Bing into dropping Romey in an instant, he stepped back like a child who had been caught with their hand in the cookie jar. Andromeda landed on her stilettos where she stumbled but managed to stay upright while clutching her throat as she coughed. Bing cautiously helped Charlie to his feet, it took a second but soon the aged man had righted himself and found his dark eyes locked on young Romey while she continued to cough.

"Forgive, Bing." Began Manx as he stepped towards her. "He can be a little overzealous at times."

Romey coughed. "No kidding."

Bing frowned at her sarcasm. "Pretty girls aren't what they seem. They're ruthless, evil and mean."

The teenager just glared up at him, her hand still on her throat.

"You're couplets need work, mate." Her attention turned back to Manx who stood in the glow of The Wraith's headlights; out the corner of her dazzling green-eyes she could see the little girl in the back seat. "Where are you taking the kid, Mister Manx?"

Now she'd calmed down a little Romey sort of regretted pushing him – been a bit childish – but at the same time he'd had it coming. Still, the raven-haired beauty didn't want to think about it so she did her best to shove the subject to something else.

"To Christmasland of course." He looked so proud and pleased with himself. "Annabel will be safe and happy there, I assure you." Manx stepped closer. "Forgive my assumptions, Miss Dixon, it was impolite and unfair." At least he had the decency to look somewhat ashamed of himself. "We must away now to Christmasland. Goodnight, Miss Dixon."

Bing rushed towards the old Rolls-Royce and slipped into the passenger seat quietly. Manx offered her a small smile before he too went to the car, he paused at the open door and turned back to the teenager.

"I hope to see you again, Miss Dixon."

With that Manx was gone and driving away. The sound of the engine faded until everything fell silent; or would have had it not been for a rather chatty owl up a tree behind the motel.

She stood there a time in the quiet, no one stepped out of their room, no curtains twitched, the yelling hadn't drawn any attention whatsoever. Something told Andromeda not to look inside her neighbours' room but after a moment to get her breathing under control Romey ignored her mind's caution and stepped to the threshold; her heels clacked gently on the uneven ground.

There green-eyes found the drug dealer flat down on the ground and a pair of legs sticking out from behind the messy bed. Manx couldn't have done this, not in his current physical appearance – and didn't that come with a boatload of questions - so this chaotic horror show had to have been the bearded giant, Bing.

Silently Romey left the motel room and wandered back to her own where she didn't speak for the rest of the night, just calmly took her make up off and went to bed.


	5. Chapter 5

When the door to Parnassus finally opened to admit Romey, Abe glanced down at his watch with a small grumble.

"You're thirty minutes late, Little Lady. That ain't like you." He said from behind the black top bar as he wiped it down.

"Sorry," she sighed "I've been talking to the police."

Abe raised an eyebrow at that while she set her stuff down on the bar and tied her apron. He watched her over his glasses with curiosity. All her make-up was dark, dark smokey eye, a metallic black lipstick. Her clothes were all dark as well, like the light had drained from her, however, at the same time Andromeda looked more put together than ever before. Something was different about her.

"Why you talking to the cops?"

Romey ran a hand through her long raven locks and leant against the bar beside her boss.

"Mister Manx paid my neighbours a visit last night. Took their daughter – Annabel – to Christmasland."

Abe should have expected Manx had been involved. He let the cloth drop onto the bar and peered up at Romey almost fatherly.

"I take it the parents are dead." It wasn't really a question, just a basic statement.

"Yeah." Andromeda nodded. "Some prick with a beard went all smashy. Then again my neighbours had it coming. In fact, I'm surprised sale gone wrong and Syphilis didn't get them first." The elder man thought that sounded like something Manx would have said. Romey continued. "Abe, what does he do with the kids he takes to Christmasland? He said they're all happy there."

He paused a moment. "It's complicated, Romey, and Charlie even more so." Abe paused again while he tried to figure out how to explain. "All of us Strong Creatives … we have a down side, a cost of using our Inscapes -"

"I don't." She cut him off softly, her voice like silk. "If I do then I don't know what it is."

Abe seemed confused and rightly so.

"You don't get pain or find it hard to talk, don't get all sensitive to light?" Romey shook her head. "Seriously?"

"No." The green-eyed teen shrugged. "I don't sleep much but I've always done that even before I got my Knife and Inscape. Maybe I don't have one."

Abe shook his head assuredly. "Nah, you have to have one. Down sides are what we all have in common. Got any blank spaces in you memory?"

Romey snorted, rather unladylike but neither cared. "I wish. No, it's all there."

She might not have known or even cared what her cost was but Abe would figure it out eventually; it wasn't fair for Andromeda not to know.

With the end of one awkward subject Abe tried to move move on. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with Charlie."

"I never said that. His pet nutjob slammed me into a wall, I'd rather not see him again. Mister Manx apologized though, he listened when I told him about the night he showed up at my motel room. People don't usually listen to me like that."

The elder Strong Creative just stared at Romey, sometimes he wondered how her little noggin worked. Maybe it was something to do with her cost?

Andromeda looked at Abe with confession evident; her bold green eyes caught the bar lights and glowed stunningly.

"Abe, why was he old?" His brow furrowed. "I didn't even realize it was him at first. Mister Mnax said sometimes he's like that but I don't understand."

The man in overalls folded his arms across his chest and breathed out gruffly. "You saw him like that?" Romey nodded. "He tries not to let other Strong Creatives see him like that, thinks they'd come to the conclusion he's weak."

The teenager seemed taken back at that. "He looked frail yeah, but not weak."

"Mmm, he's a deceptive man." His arms dropped and Abe took up the cloth again. "Little Lady, come help me open."

The seventeen year old glanced around. "Looks like you're open to me, Abe. Door is open and the lights are on, that's basically it for Parnassus."

"Alright, don't get smart." He mock demanded. "The shelves need restocking and the tables still need wiping down. I'd have done it last night but I couldn't be bothered."

Andromeda flashed Abe a smile and then the two set to work. In a bar like Parnassus there really shouldn't have been that much do to on a semi-permanent basis

~X~

Andromeda had offered to come in early – before they opened – to put up the Halloween decorations for Abe; an offer the bar owner had been most appreciative of. The green-eyed teen thought it a little redundant what with the way some – if not most – of their customers dressed. _Literally every day is Halloween around here. _Still, Abe wanted them up and he was in charge so there Romey stood on the black bar hanging little paper Jack-o'-Lanterns. When the heavy door opened Romey breathed a sigh of relief, for a while it hadn't looked as though Abe would come back any time soon.

"Hi, Abe. I'm almost done with the decorations. Just this and then it's all up." She said over her shoulder.

"I am not Abe, Miss Dixon."

Romey startled at the deep voice and suddenly slipped from the bar. She tumbled down and braced for an impact that never came, instead the teen opened her green orbs to find herself in the arms of Charlie Manx; he smiled down at her with one of those charming smiles.

"Thank you, Mister Manx." She told him after a moment of figuring out what had happened.

"You're most welcome, Miss Dixon." He tucked a stray strand of raven-hair behind her ear while he continued to smile at her.

"I asked you not to call me that." Romey said softly.

That charming smirk of his only grew. She could feel his warmth as it slipped past his blue coat, through her beat up t-shirt and into her cool skin; it comforted her.

"Then I ask you to call me Charlie"

The smile was disarming and handsome, it held an innocence that Romey thought shouldn't have been there. She suspected he could have drawn anyone in with it and those big brown eyes.

"Please forgive the intrusion, Andromeda, I did not mean to frighten you."

"It's my own fault, I shouldn't have been up there in these heels." In truth Romey was in love with the heels she'd treated herself to. "If you're looking for Abe he's not here and didn't say when he'd be back."

Manx let his brown orbs rake over the teenager, almost as though he tried to peer into her soul; it reminded her of how Darkness had looked at Lili, hungry and yet strangely endearing.

"No, no, I am here to see you, Andromeda."

Romey's brow furrowed. "Me?"

"Yes, you."

He took a breath and it finally dawned on the seventeen year old that he was still holding her and just how close his was. Manx seemed to realize as well because he carefully set Romey down on her heeled feet and stepped back ever so slightly.

"I now understand," he began "that I judged you unfairly and I apologize for that. I've just spent so long looking for someone like you and I thought once again you had slipped through my fingers."

"Why are you young again?"

Manx raised an eyebrow, he'd clearly not expected that to be her question. He paused a moment and Romey thought he'd not answer, but then that disarming smile came again and he started to speak.

"It's complicated and it isn't important. I assure you it is of little consequence. My youth is not why I am here though. As I said, I apologize for my assumptions."

Green eyes watched him a moment. Manx seemed genuine and he had come all the way to see her when he'd not had to bother.

"I'm sorry I pushed you."

The Wraith owner breathed out a laugh. "Oh, that is of little consequence, Andromeda. Frustrations make us all do uncharacteristic things."

A pause hung between them a moment but soon Romey broke it.

"So I forgive you and you forgive me. Now what?"

The tall man stepped closer. "Now, I was hoping you would join me. It is a lovely day outside."

Romey's brow furrowed in confusion as she bit her Shamrock colored lip.

"Join you?" The teen asked almost hesitantly. "Like a date?"

The elder man nodded. "Yes. I wish to court you."

Romey's brow furrowed deeper. "So you find out I'm a virgin and suddenly I'm fair game again?"

"No, no, it's not like that. It is not that you are a virgin, though there is an attractiveness to that level of purity. Forgive my return to an awkward topic, Andromeda, but had your father done what I'd believed he had then the innocence and goodness I'm looking for would have been ripped from you. That you are a virgin means with certainty that it is still there intact."

Romey didn't understand. "Why do I need to be these things so badly?"

"Because there are rules as to who can enter Christmasland. Strict rules that have to be followed."

Her green eyes went wide in surprise, of everything he could have said she'd not expected such a comment.

"You'd show me your Inscape?"

Manx nodded. "Eventually I would, yes." He stepped closer still until he was practically invading her personal space; even in her heels she only came up to his shoulders. "So, will you accompany me and allow me to court you?"

Manx smelt sweet like cocoa; enticing, warm, comforting.

"You know I'm seventeen right?"

That disarming smile flared up again. "I do not care, Andromeda, age is but a number. You already said you were done with Abe's decorations, will you come?"

"Duck out early, isn't that bad?"

His smile turned to a smirk. "Not if you only do it once."

That had the teen chuckling, Charlie Manx really was a charming man; Romey suspected he could have talked almost anyone into anything if he chose to.

"Alright, Charlie, I'll go with you."

Oh how he adored the way her silky voice made his name sound. Want bubbled within him but Manx had immense self-control when it came to the future of his children at Christmasland and Romey was most assuredly their future.

"Perfect." He purred.

"Let me grab my stuff."

The green-eyed beauty walked behind the bar – Manx's orbs on her the whole way – and picked up her little messenger bag and her leather jacket. A scrap of paper was tugged from it's spot by the cash register so Romey could quickly scribble down a not for Abe; she didn't mention Manx, just that something had come up.

Like a perfect gentleman Charlie held the door for Romey as they headed out. She locked the door to Parnassus only for Manx to escort her over to his pristine Wraith, the passenger door to which swung open for her unaided. For a second Romey had wanted to question it but she knew she was unlikely to get a straight answer.

When the car pulled out of the Parnassus parking lot she ran a hand through her long raven locks and watched him drive for a time.

"Where are we going?"

He didn't look away from the road. "It is a surprise."

Something about Charlie Manx made her trust him, made her not care where he took her as long as she got to stay with him. Strange but Romey liked it.

The drive was strangely peaceful, calmingly so, and soon Romey found herself watching the world go by as The Wraith rumbled down streets, round corners and away from Parnassus. Manx had been right, Monday had turned into a pleasant day with rich, bold sunshine and people most certainly took advantage of it.

"May I ask how you found your way to Parnassus, Andromeda?" The mysterious man asked; his deep voice jolted Romey from her people-watching.

"Sure." She shrugged. "When I ran away from home – and I use that term loosely – I was lucky enough to stumble across Duvall. He was a Strong Creative as well, a good guy, and he took care of me best he could. Taught me what a Strong Creative was but … he died."

Romey's face fell, her features pained. When Manx peered up from the road for a second he thought she looked older than seventeen and it had aged her in the most horrid way; her soul.

"I am sorry." He told her more out of traditional politeness than actual emotion.

"Thanks." Romey remained silent for a brief time as she forced her memories back down where they'd not make her cry. "Withiut him I didn't have anywhere to go and thought I'd have no choice but to go back to Kansas. To my Dad. My Inscape takes me to things I or someone I specify _need _rather than want, and it took me to Parnassus."

Manx flashed her a smile. "Now you have a job and a friend in Abe. Seems your Inscape did well."

"I think it did, yeah."

The rest of the drive wasn't too much longer and before long Manx stopped and parked under the shade of a large oak tree. Green eyes looked around curiously.

"Is this a walk in the park?" She asked with just a hint of teasing.

"Not quite."

With that the dark-haired man stepped out of his Wraith and opened the passenger door for Romey to do the same. She watched him go to the trunk from which he took the most stereotypical picnic basket she'd ever seen. It looked like something Yogi Bear would have been after.

"A picnic?" Romey beamed. "Seriously?"

His honey chocolate orbs shone in the mid-day sun. "Do you disapprove?"

Romey's head shook. "No. Not at all, it's just … I didn't expect it from you." She spyed closer at the basket. "You made all this?

Manx nodded curtly. "I am rather proficient."

That comment actually made the seventeen year old laugh. "Yeah, you are."

Like something out of a Victorian period drama he offered her his arm and Romey looped her own with his, then the two entered the park in search of somewhere to sit. She let him lead her to wherever he wanted which turned out to be an almost ridiculously large tree. The pair sat and Romey found herself looking around the park, to say how warm and sunny the day was hardly anyone seemed to be in the park; a few dog walkers and that was about it.

A cool breeze danced through the lush green leaves above their heads, one of natures symphonies, while Manx carefully unpacked things. Romey couldn't stop grinning.

"I've never done this before." She watched as he started to pour Lemonade into glasses.

"Been on a picnic?"

The raven-haired beauty nodded with a flash of embarrassment. "Yes. My Mom ducked out when I was little and my Dad never cared enough to take me on a picnic."

Romey had read about charming men taking young girls on picnics in the books she devoured, but she'd never expected it to happen to her. Manx really hadn't struck her as the sort of man who'd have thought of a picnic as a date, however, she was starting to realize he was a little old school in more ways than just his car.

"Well, I am delighted you decided to spend your first time with me."

Had she not been so happy in that moment Romey would have spotted the hardly there innuendo. He handed over a glass of Lemonade that Andromeda took with a thankful smile.

Quiet hung there between them then, Romey hadn't been on a date before and she'd got no idea what to say to a man like Manx. After a second she spotted brown orbs watching her and it seemed to jolt him out of whatever trance he'd been in.

"Forgive me, I have not done this in a very long time."

Romey smirked behind her Lemonade glass. "Well, you're still doing better than me. I've not done this period."

Manx's brow furrowed. "You haven't been courted at all before?"

"I don't think anyone says _courted _now but no, I'm mostly just the weird girl people avoid. Doubt I'm very good dating material."

"I find all of that hard to believe. You are clearly highly intelligent, you have a sense of humour and are remarkably beautiful."

"Sweet talker." Andromeda blushed.

"That may be so but it makes my statements no less true."

Romey tried to brush it off. "Hang around me long enough and you'll see I'm just the strange poetry girl."

"Poetry?" He asked with genuine curiosity. "You enjoy poetry."

The teen nodded. "Yes, very much. Poetry is how my Inscape works actually, mostly Couplets but sometimes longer poems if I'm looking for something specific."

"Who is your favourite?"

That seemed to please the girl, like no one had ever cared enough to ask before. It was obvious she enjoyed someone truly giving a shit about her and her interests. Someone who actually wanted to hear her opinion.

"Robert Frost. I love his imagery, but I also adore the way Edgar Allan Poe viewed death; he wasn't afraid of it."

Manx nodded as he absorbed all she'd said. Romey had sounded so animate, her green eyes had turned so boldly viridescent as she talked.

"I favour Keats myself."

Charlie hadn't known it possible but Romey lit up even more brightly.

"You like poetry?"

He flashed her a little half smile. "I fear I'm not as proficient at its intricacies as you but yes. Now and again."

Andromeda's smile faded then and Manx longed for it to return.

"My Dad thought poetry immasculated men, made them weak … or somehow turned them gay. Yeah, he's not a nice person."

"If your father truly believes that then he's an idiot. Most of the classics were written by men. Men who chased after young women and strived to gain their attention and affection."

Romey chuckled. "You make it sound as though they're all Lord Byron."

Charlie shrugged. "Many wanted to be, I'm sure." He took a long drink of his own Lemonade. "Now, I feel we should change the subject before you realize how little I actually know compared to you."

She leant back against the tree's trunk and took a gentle breath. "I bet you could tell me everything about that Wraith of yours, all I can tell you is that it's a cool, old car."

He nodded a little to himself. "You make a fair point, Andromeda."

With her drink gone she set it down where it wouldn't topple over. "You can call me Romey, you know."

His brow furrowed ever so slightly. "And sacrifice a uniquely beautiful name that suits you to perfection? Never." That blush returned. "Romey is a name people use out of convenience, but Andromeda, that is who you really are."

Polished emeralds glanced away shyly. "You think too much of me, Charlie."

He slipped two fingers under her chin and used them to tilt her head up until she faced him; green locked with chocolate.

"Oh, I don't think that's true. You've just grown used to men thinking so little of you."

Those stunning green eyes shone up at him brightly, so radiant. How he'd not seen the innocence that radiated from them before Charlie didn't know. Forget Vic McQueen, Andromeda Dixon was what he'd been searching for all these years and Manx would make her his for eternity.

For a time they ate and chatted. He learnt that Romey was far more knowledgeable than he'd originally believed. Her love of books had provided her a vast wealth of knowledge, she knew a little about a lot and frankly Manx hadn't imagined himself enjoying her company quite so much. They'd talked of many things; of, poems and nature, of history and the future, of Romey's work at Parnassus and Abe.

When the hour started to grow late and Andromeda had to return to the bar to work, she helped him pack away the leftovers into the picnic basket. Once everything had been tidied Manx had returned her to his Wraith and drove back to Parnassus.

In the parking lot he'd once again held the passenger door open for her to step out into the cool night air.

"Thank you for accompanying me this afternoon, Andromeda." That charming smiled had returned. "I hope you shall let our courtship continue."

Romey breathed out a laugh. "You're a strange one, Charlie Manx, but I like you."

He raised an eyebrow as his charming smile grew devilish. "Is that a yes?"

"Keep being sweet and I suppose so."

"Then I look forwards to it. Good evening, Andromeda. Do not let Abe work you too hard."

He pressed a kiss to her cheek and then he was back in the Wraith. Romey watched him drive away before she entered Parnassus with a smile as big as the State.


	6. Chapter 6

Romey found herself walking down the street window shopping for two reasons. The first was Abe, he'd decided they were going big for this Halloween. Apparently Halloween was their busy time – though Andromeda wasn't convinced – when 'normal' people stumbled in amongst the Strong Creatives. As a result Abe had told Romey to get a costume. Originally she'd not been too excited about the prospect but he'd done these puppy eyes that she'd not even known he was capable of and she'd caved.

Romey didn't know what to wear, she'd never really done Halloween before; though the teen did love the mass of fun candy. Still she looked as best she could. The second reason had snuck up on her rather quietly. Charlie always looked so put together, while the nicest things Romey owned were the stiletto boots she'd treated herself to. The teen wanted at least one 'nice' outfit for when she was with him.

They'd been on a few 'dates' now and each one had been simple yet perfect. She actually liked being with him. Though she wasn't sure if he was officially her boyfriend or not. Romey pushed all that away to instead focus on finding what she'd gone shopping for.

Most places had the basic, crappy Halloween costumes that looked more for kids than anything else or it was; slutty nurse, slutty maid, slutty basically everything. Not really Romey's thing since she'd be trying to work rather than trying to get laid.

"I could go as a Vampire." Romey told herself as she continued down the street. "I'm pale as hell already." She chuckled. "Or Snow White."

Suddenly Andromeda stopped dead and stared into a window. Past the dresses on display was a rack with a certain dress that sparked an idea. The teenager made her was inside the simple, little store and straight to the black dress. Looking down at the tag Romey found it wasn't too expensive which had her beaming. It was a long black wrap dress that she could tie very loose to create an overly exaggerated V. She could easily drape bits of flowing fabric from the shoulders and remove the cap sleeves too. The dress hadn't got the large collar that Lili's had in the movie but Romey was perfectly capable of making that herself.

"Oh yeah, Bridal Lili!" And just like that a Legend costume was born.

She quickly took it off of the rack and headed to the counter to pay. Pleased with her purchase Romey made her way out again. As a child Legend had been her favourite movie, she'd had the movie before her world had gone to crap, before her Mom had walked out and her father's anger and hate had redirected to her.

"Though I'd have stayed with Darkness." Romey muttered to herself as she stepped out of the shop; a little smile on her red lips.

Halloween was dealt with, she had black lipstick back at her motel, could wear her beloved stilettos and Romey had already figured out she could make the collar. Thinking about it Romey had a chain belt she could wear like a sash. The raven-haired beauty doubted anyone would know who she was supposed to be but that didn't matter, Abe had wanted her to have a costume and now she did.

Romey turned her attention to her next task and went in search of a couple new _simple _outfits to wear when with Charlie. After a – surprisingly short – search Romey had gotten herself a dress, skirt and a few blouses in varying shades, Romey deemed the day a success. She'd not gone over the top and spent the earth but she had gotten herself a few things she thought she'd be pretty in. Romey hadn't ever put so much attention or effort into anything but for some reason Charlie made her want to … she didn't even know.

Andromeda returned to her motel room where she flicked on the TV and set to work making the over the top collar for her Lili costume. The task proved to be a bit more fiddly than she'd originally anticipated but it all came together in the end. The collar stood tall and sat happily on her new dress almost as though it had always been there. Happy with her progress Romey hung her costume up in the bathroom to await Halloween.

Just as the teen was debating if she wanted to shower before or after she got something to eat, a knock sounded at her door. With a raised eyebrow Romey answered the door expecting more cops. They'd not believed Romey when she'd told them she hadn't seen or heard anything when her neighbours had been killed and their daughter kidnapped. Didn't matter what the police thought though, she'd got no connection to them and really what would Romey had done with a kid? She lived in a motel for God's sake.

However, when the green-eyed beauty opened the door she found Charlie stood there looking immaculate as ever; his hair slicked back, a charming smile on his sharp features and his coat buttoned.

"Good day, Andromeda." She flashed him a smile.

"Hi, Charlie. Want to come in?"

The teen stepped aside so he could enter the – frankly rather depressing – motel room. She honestly hadn't expected to see Charlie, at all, he'd been gone for a while and he wasn't the sort of man who sent texts … not that she had a cellphone.

"I brought you a present." He told her in that deep voice of his which made Romey's eyebrows shoot upwards.

"A present? For me? Why?"

Charlie chuckled at her clearly confused line of questioning. "I need a reason to give you a gift? Then I suppose the reason is I though you would like it. I was in Carson City – that's why I've been gone a while – and I just stumbled across it. Here."

From his inner breast pocket he took a rectangular present wrapped simply in old fashioned brown paper. Romey beamed, presents weren't a norm for her. She opened it while Charlie watched on only to light up at the sight of the book she found inside. _A Boy's Will_ by Robert Frost.

"Thank you!" When she opened the front cover she saw found it to be a first edition. "It's beautiful. Thank you so much, Charlie."

"You are most welcome, Andromeda. I hoped you would like the book. It was just meant for you."

He watched as she looks through the aged pages. Charlie honestly didn't think anyone had ever done something so simple yet meaningful for the teenager. Didn't matter though because he'd made her smile, made her happy.

"I'd ask you to accompany me to lunch but I have things to which I need to attend. Forgive me."

Romey shrugged and finally looked up from the book. "That's okay, Charlie. You don't have to keep taking me places every time you see me."

He smiled. "Of course not, you cannot be bought. However, you can be spoilt and treated."

Before he could say anything else Romey had bounced up onto her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. It was quick, simple and than it was over. Green eyes shone up at him for a split second then they were gone, locked on the ground shyly; clearly second guessing herself.

Manx internally beamed. He cupped her left cheek with his large hand and forced those dazzling emeralds to meet his honey chocolate ones and then his lips were back on Romey's. He didn't care that her red lipstick smudged onto his face. She was obviously un-practiced to kissing but damn was Romey a fast learner. The teen let out a little squeak when Charlie licked along her lips begging entrance. He took the opportunity to slip his practised tongue into her mouth while large hands raked down her flanks and wrapped around her hips. The next thing Romey knew she'd been lovingly pressed up against the wall beside the door.

Romey tasted bitter like coffee with a sweet finish; delectable. Romey didn't seem to know what to do with her hands but soon she found the soft lapels of his blue coat, she clung to him as though she were dangling over a cavernous ravine and he her only chance at safety.

When Charlie's lungs started to beg for air he finally released her mouth in favour of resting his forehead against her own. Warmth seeped from her body and into his own, so perfect.

"Well," she began quietly "I hadn't been expecting that today."

Charlie chuckled; he'd not had anyone to make him laugh in so long.

"Nor I, Andromeda, but it isn't unwelcome."

She took a breath. "So what does this mean in your weird courtship ritual? Plaything? Friends with benefits?" She teased.

Manx raised an eyebrow. "Certainly not, Andromeda. I do not intend to toy with you, and, while I am pleased to be your friend, I do not wish for our … relationship to be quite so 'unimportant'. Is _girlfriend_ still the accepted term?" Romey nodded. "Yeah, last time I checked it was."

"And do you agree to this?"

She chuckled. "You make it sound like a business transaction, but yes, I'll be your girlfriend."

Romey's heart fluttered, she'd never had a boyfriend before, and certainly hadn't kissed a man like Charlie Manx. Yes, the teen had kissed before but it hadn't ever been anything special or overly wonderful but Charlie was older than she could possibly imagine, he'd known women before.

Manx tilted her head up and kissed the teen, short and quick. Romey leant into his touch, craved it and treasured his warm embrace.

"You think you're not good enough."

It clearly wasn't a question that just got a mournful smile from her.

"I'm an inexperienced teenage girl." She told him bluntly.

"I assure you that you're more than good enough, Andromeda. I told you I have been looking for someone like you and now I realize – after years – that it is not just _someone_ anymore but you."

Charlie wondered if he was going a little too gushy but Romey seemed to appreciate the sweet nothings. One more kiss and then he stepped away to put a few steps between them so the green-eyed beauty wasn't pinned to the wall any longer.

"I apologize but I must go. As I said, I have things to do and I suspect you will need to get to the bar. Can I drive you?"

Andromeda shook her head. "I'd like that but no, I'm not in until late. Abe's rotas don't make a lick of sense. I was going to take a shower and get something to eat, then head to Parnassus."

He straightened his coat. "Well then, I hope you enjoy the book. Bye, Andromeda."

Charlie pressed a kiss to her cheek and then the door opened and The Wraith driver passed through the threshold. He paused a step or so outside and turned back.

"Please don't doubt your worth from now on."

Then he was gone off towards his treasured Wraith. She never got a chance to mention the smudge of lipstick on and around his lips.

Once the door was closed and locked Romey sat on her bed a time, the teen didn't know how she'd ended up as Charlie Manx's girlfriend, it hadn't been something she'd anticipated and Romey suspected she should have been hesitant about him after she'd seen the killings, the abduction – or maybe liberation – of Annabel and all the other weirdness that went along with him. However, every time Romey thought of him all she saw was that smile and those deep brown eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Halloween night had finally arrived and damn had Abe been right. Non Strong Creatives had stumbled into Parnassus in the boatload. Abe had changed the kegs three times – which had almost been beyond comprehension for Romey – and she'd been to get more vodka, whiskey and gin from the basement. The green-eyed beauty honestly hadn't _ever _seen Parnassus so busy; _she'd _never been so busy.

Eventually Romey realized she and Abe hadn't stopped in around four hours, she'd worked through her break as well, not that she minded. By three in the morning things had quietened down greatly and the crowd had thinned down to mostly the regular Strong Creatives and a couple more-money-than-sense alcoholics. Romey was just pleased the mass of voices had dropped.

"Can I get a beer?" A stranger asked her cleavage rather than her face.

"Sure."

She flashed him a smile even though she doubted the half drunk moron saw it. Romey quickly grabbed a beer and popped the cap off the top only to slam it down before him.

"Hey, who you meant to be? Evil Elsa?"

Romey raised an eyebrow, what about her outfit even suggested Elsa?

"I'm Lili from Legend." He just stared at her while glugging down his beer. "You know, Tim Curry, Tom Cruise before he got his teeth fixed or anybody cared who he was."

Clearly she'd not get anywhere with this drunk, poor impersonation of Fred from _Scooby Doo_ so she just handed over another beer to keep him occupied.

"Come on, Lewis." A blonde man in a floral print shirt and and an ill-fitting, army fatigue colored jumpsuit. "Kenna is asking for you."

Fred – or Lewis as it turned out – latched on to his beer and tossed some money at Romey then wandered off towards a group; most of who were dressed like the rest of the Scooby Gang. The blonde watched his friend go a moment and then his attention was back on Romey, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Sorry 'bout that." He said as he leant on the bar before her. "Lewis, he's an idiot when sober too."

That made Romey laugh. She couldn't help but notice the little, brightly colored dinosaur that stuck out of his front pocket.

"Are you … are you Hoban Washburne?"

The blonde's eyes went wide as a smile spread across his face.

"You are the first person to get that all night!" Suddenly his hand was thrust out towards her while his grin grew. "For tonight, hi, I'm Wash. Nice to meet you Princess Lili."

With a chuckle Romey shook his hand. "Okay, for knowing who I'm meant to be and the fact you actually have a toy dinosaur in your pocket, you get a free drink. Beer?"

The man she only knew as Wash nodded. "Thanks. Can't really pull off Malcolm Reynolds and who doesn't think Was was the best?"

"Oh, you are preaching to the choir, my friend. You're talking to the girl who is basically _in love _with Alan Tudyk."

The blonde smirked. "Got it bad huh? I see how it is, you want the real deal not Costume Wash."

He teased and Romey laughed. Sometimes she forgot no one ever really knew what she was talking about when it came to books or media, so it was nice to find Wash – or whatever his real name was – and actually have a conversation.

"You got me." She said with an overly dramatic sigh as she passed over his free beer. "You're just not him."

"I hope I'm the _him_."

Both heads snapped up to see Charlie Manx stood before them. He looked out of place in a club full of Halloween goers but his old fashioned coat made it look as though he'd put some effort in. Romey lit up at the sight of him.

"Not quite but you'll do I suppose."

Sensing her mock torment Charlie lent over the bar and pressed a kiss to Andromeda's black lips.

"A boyfriend?" Asked Wash and Romey nodded. "Ahh, _curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal_!"

Romey burst out laughing at that much to Charlie's confusion. She clearly liked the stranger and Charlie didn't like that. With a harsh, but subtle, glare the man dressed as Wash grabbed his beer and slipped off back towards his friends.

"What on earth was that all about?"

Andromeda shrugged. "Nothing, just a TV show. You didn't have to scare him off."

"It is Halloween, I'm portraying a paranoid lover." He flashed her those big brown eyes.

"Doing a good job. Can I get you a drink? I can make cocoa if you want."

He didn't even need to think about it. "Coffee, please, Andromeda. It's been that sort of a day."

"Coming up." The dark-haired beauty pulled the coffee pot from under the glass shelves of spirits and poured the tall man a generous cup. "Milk? Sugar?"

"Just sugar, thank you."

She took out a few of those little sugar packets and dropped them on the bar then set Manx's coffee down beside them.

"You okay?" She'd not really expected to see him at Parnassus on Halloween of all occasions.

"I am now, yes." That was a line if ever she'd heard one. "I's been a busy and rather aggravating day but it is over now. Christmas will soon be upon us and all well be well once more."

"Well, it's Thanksgiving first, but yeah, I suppose."

Charlie looked over her costume with a keen but clearly clueless eye. "Somewhat risqué for a dress, don't you think?"

Romey glanced down at herself a second and then back up. "I thought it was rather accurate. Legend was my favourite film as a kid, and since I have no idea where to start with a costume of Darkness I thought Bridal Lili was a great next best thing."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Bridal?"

The green-eyed teenager nodded happily. "Yes! Darkness – whose the bad guy but I like to think of him as grey – becomes memorised by Lili and wants them to be together in the Dark forever. This dress-" she gestured to her outfit "-is the bridal gown he gives her."

"And do you suppose this _Darkness_ loves her? Or do you believe he was using her for his own gain?"

She shrugged while Charlie sipped his coffee. "Both. He's got the capability of truly loving her and in a strange way I think she could have one day seen the grey in him more than the black. Darkness is only evil because Jack, Lili, Oona and the others are convinced they're complete good, but it's Lili that starts the problem."

Manx honestly had no idea what the hell she was talking about but he could see this movie meant something to her.

"It's always hard to see the light can't exist without the dark."

"You two getting philosophical on me?"

Polished emeralds flashed up at Abe as he returned from God only knew where while he cleaned his glasses.

"As if we would." Romey chuckled. "Where have you been?"

"In the bathroom. You want a detailed list of what I did in there?" He asked incredulously.

"You've been in there thirty minutes so, yeah, I think I might."

Charlie didn't seem overly keen to be a part of such a conversation.

"Well, as wonderful as this conversation regarding Ave's bathroom habts is, I was hoping you'd join me for a few hours, Andromeda."

"Why?" Abe asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Should a man not be able to spend time with his girlfriend?"

"_Girlfriend?!_" Abe nearly swallowed his tongue.

"Did I not mention that?" Romey peered up at her boss cautiously as Abe shook his head. "Sorry about that. Can I go with Charlie?" She looked so hopeful. "It's only an hour.

Charlie could see Abe wanted to say no but he couldn't when Romey did that cute 'please' face of hers.

"Okay." He sighed knowing he'd never be able to argue with her pretty face or Manx's …. _Manxness._

"Yay. Thank you, Abe."

The seventeen year old quickly kissed Abe's unkempt cheek then tugged off her black apron and spun aground to grab her stuff from underneath the bar. When she rushed to round the bar the two men were left alone for a few seconds; Abe glared at Manx.

"_Don't _hurt her." He ordered; Abe was the only man who'd ever get away with that. "Romey is a good kid."

Manx's head tilted to the side a little. "I have no intentions of harming, Andromeda. It is the last thing I want."

Abe didn't seem convinced. "You didn't intend on harming Jolene either."

"Who is Jolene?" Romey asked pleasantly as she rejoined them, a grin on her face.

Manx and Abe flashed one another a look, a quick and hardly noticeable one that said nothing of their true feelings.

" … One of Charlie's ex's, that's all."

The dark-haired man nodded. "It was quite some time ago. Come along, Andromeda."

He offered her his arm and she looped them together just as they had on their first date. Then, happily, the pair headed out into the night.

Once outside Romey breathed in the cool early morning air; cool where the sun hadn't risen yet. The air had a strange scent, cold wasn't the right word but it was as close as Romey's mind could get, like breathing in snow but without the frosty edge.

"Why doesn't Abe seem excited about his bartender dating – what seems to be – his best friend? Well, he doesn't need to be _excited exactly_ but he could at least be on board with the idea."

Manx just stood there in the parking lot staring up at the moon.

"Em, I have never been very good with women and he doesn't want you to suffer if our relationship were to end." He said with only a hint of reservation.

"You?" Romey snorted in a rather unladylike fashion. "Not good with women? I don't believe that." Easily she made her way to him and pulled his attention down from the sky for a kiss. "Now, what are we doing? Or did you just sense I wanted out of there?"

"How long have we been courting now?" He asked after a moment.

Clearly the teen was taken aback but she didn't seem concerned. "Em, a little over three months. I really should have told Abe."

"Three months." He nodded to himself. "I have been searching for something, someone, a very long time, Andromeda, and I am sure _you _are her. I was certain once before as well, and I was wrong. You said your Inscape could find things people _needed _and I need her. Would you … would you please use your Inscape and put an end to my search once and for all."

Romey paused a moment, her brow furrowed and she seemed rather confused but didn't push away from him.

"And if it's someone else?" Romey asked, sorrow laced her voice.

He cupped her cheek and stroked his thumb gently across her smooth skin; a loving touch.

"... I don't know, but at least I will have an answer."

She looked off at the ground for a brief moment, she didn't want to agree, didn't want what little happiness she'd made for herself crumble down to the ground. However, if she declined she'd destroy it all by herself so, after a moment, she nodded and slowly took her notebook and fountain pen from her ever present messenger bag.

"I'll do it."

Manx appeared relieved, his eyes slipped shut a second and a calming breath left his body.

"Thank you, Andromeda."

She flicked the notebook open and held the nib of her pen just above the crisp pages.

"What is she? You are looking for something specific so what is? What do you need her for? Until I know that I can't find her."

Romey didn't look up and Manx didn't blame her, he understood she must have been in pain at this idea. He'd looked for so long, Jolene and Vic had come the closest but neither of them had ever been Andromeda Dixon; she was perfect, it had to be her.

"Of course. She, em, well, she's … she'll be the mother of the children at Christmasland and Millie too."

Romey's eyes went wide. "Mother?"

Charlie nodded as though it were simple, as though he'd not just dumped the 'M' word on her like it was a meaningless comment. Romey just stared at him while Manx watched her with curiosity, her internal panic wasn't lost on him. When he thought about it, maybe he shouldn't have thrown the word out; he'd longed for a mother for the children almost as long as he could remember, he'd had time to get used to it.

After a moment Romey forced her head down and started to write, she'd jot down a fair bit and then scribble it all out to start again. Watching a woman write poetry or couplets, or whatever it was she actually did, didn't sound all that interesting but she wrote with such an intensity that Charlie adored. Romey lit up as she wrote, shone with creativity and it actually surprised the elder man when he found himself smiling softly at her.

He had no idea how long they stood there in the night air while she put together a Couplet that could find him what he needed.

"Done."

The word caught Manx of guard, for some reason he'd though she'd take far longer but this was her Inscape and Knife, Romey would know how to use them better than anyone else.

"Fantastic!" He beamed; finally he'd find her. "How do we do this?"

Green eyes looked up at him brightly. "The trip is a bit rocky but not complicated. Come here and wrap your arms around me tight."

Manx did just that. He strode over to her and wrapped his arms around her to press his chest to her back, the collar of her Halloween costume turned out to be a bit awkward but not that much of a bother. Romey was so soft against him, the perfect hight; he could have rested his chin on her head if he'd so chosen. She smelt of coconuts and damn did he want it to be her.

"Please forgive me, this truly isn't my best work but I've had like six minutes." _Six?_ Charlie had though it longer. "Okay, here we go. _'Cause the father's softly calling for a mother to kindred, kith and kin . His journey's been long, unremitting, but now they will be skin to skin._ God that's awful."

She blew on the wet ink and it flew upwards from Romey's neat handwriting like a drop of blood in a glass. Manx's dark eyes watched as it fluttered around them, seemingly growing and then all went black. Thick, inky darkness just like the night they'd met. At first Charlie felt like a leaf in a vortex, calm at first but then he was thrust at the rapids. Manx didn't know if he'd closed his eyes or if the ink had blinded him.

Then it all stopped and the pair were back at Parnassus not two steps forwards from where they'd been a moment earlier. Almost instantly Manx released the teenager and doubled over as his head spun.

"You okay?" She asked softly as she tucked her notebook away. "I've only ever taken Duvall before and he threw up for fifteen minutes straight."

"I will be fine." He assured before forcing himself to stand straight which is when a huge grin spread across his face. "You have no idea how happy I am, Andromeda."

Her brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Look around you, we came straight back to Parnassus only forwards a step. It put me right where you'd been standing." Manx rushed to her giddy as a school boy – unusual for him – and took her hands in his. "I was right! It's you, Andromeda! It's you."

Romey shrugged. "Or she doesn't exist."

His grin faded. "You're smarter than that, Andromeda. You know you're the one I've searched for. Sweetheart, don't be scared of this, it's joyous." Manx yanked her towards him then and wrapped her up in a tight embrace. "I saw you with that lost little boy months ago, after that there was no denying how perfect you are." He kissed her firm and loving. "You're there mother."

Manx paused then, he could see her back tracking and curling in on herself.

"I... I-"

"Think about it? Please? You have to be willing." Manx sighed more to slow his excitement down than anything else. "It's too much, too fast I know, but _please_-"

It was Romey's turn to cut him off. "Okay, I'll think about it. But, Charlie, I'm seventeen and live a motel."

"Christmasland will be your home, you'll be their mother and want for nothing as they do."

Fear, that was what he saw in the teenager's eyes and it ground Manx to a halt. She had to go willingly, he couldn't trick her or lure her like he did with the children. He couldn't force a woman to be a mother, that mothering instinct had to take over naturally and freely. Unless Andromeda connected willingly the children wouldn't ever get a mother.

"I see now that I have thrust this upon you out of the blue. I had no right to and I apologize. Forget about it for now, I have waited this long and I wait while you grow accustom to the idea. It is the very least you deserve." He straightened his blue coat and stood tall with that stoic expression of his finding its usual place. "Can I take you for something to eat? I know a place that is open late."

Romey's mouth opened and closed a few times before she actually managed to get any words out, similar to a flounder out of water.

"I'm not hungry but thank you. Could you please take me back to the motel?"

Manx nodded. "Of course, Sweetheart, if that is what you desire."

Outwardly he seemed calm and controlled as always but the inside was a whirling tempest. He'd found her, she was right there! Andromeda Dixon was to be his children's mother … but he might have scared her away. Manx couldn't fail the children and especially not Millie.


	8. Chapter 8

Three things had happened in the two weeks since Charlie had made his … revaluation. The first was strikingly obvious, Romey hadn't spoken to him at all, not one word or a single sound effect. The second was that Abe had spent every single second questioning the teenager about it; some were questions Romey had no idea how to answer. Lastly was Romey's semi-permanent panic and worry. That was how she found herself laying on her bed in the crappy motel she called home staring at the ceiling blankly.

The raven-haired beauty had liked Charlie, she really had, maybe even loved him … okay Romey loved him. How that had crept up on Andromeda she wasn't entirely sure but she did. Truly did. Her body and mind had decided for her and Romey couldn't deny it now.

She sighed. Mother. He wanted her to be the mother of children she'd never even met; an unknown quantity of children. Romey's own mother hadn't even stuck around, frankly neither of her parents would have won any awards. Romey hadn't had ever had a maternal figure in her life, what if Romey wasn't any good at being a Mom? Then there was the fact she just so happened to be seventeen years old. Were seventeen year olds meant to be mothers? Then again, the children Manx took hadn't really had the best Moms to begin with. No, she couldn't. Could she?

A loud bang sounded on the door then and Romey jumped. The cops had stopped coming by and Charlie was too gentlemanly to bang on her door so intrusively. Could have been the Super though Romey seriously doubted it.

"Who is it?" She called out without moving her dazzling green eyes from the ceiling.

"It's Abe. Open the bloody door, Little Lady." He shouted.

Romey sighed again before she got herself up and let him in.

"Sounding rather fatherly there, Abey."

She stepped aside for him to enter her little motel room and forced herself not to pay too much attention to his disapproving expression.

"Well, someone has to." He kicked the door shut with his foot. "You do realize you were meant to be at Parnassus."

Romey's eyes widened in confusion. "No, I have Sunday off."

Abe nodded. "Yeah, you do, but it's Monday, Romey."

Those wide green eyes turned to a furrowed brow faster than 'dude, hold my beer' turned into a bad idea.

"It is?" She asked quietly and the bespectacled man nodded once more.

"Yes, it is. You okay, Little Lady?"

Though Romey nodded she didn't seem very convinced; Manx really had done a number on her.

"I'm fine, thanks, Abe. And I'm sorry, let me quickly grab my stuff, stick some shoes on and at least put some eyeliner on then I'll come to the bar."

"Nope." Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "Tell me what's wrong. You've been weird since Halloween and I know it has something to do with Charlie bloody Manx. What did he do?"

The elder man placed his hands on his hips and truly did look rather fatherly in that moment. He'd really come to care for Andromeda in the months she'd been working for him at Parnassus, and he certainly didn't want Manx destroying one of his friends; even accidentally.

"... Charlie asked me to be … to be their mother."

Abe's head fell into his hands as he sighed deeply. Leave it to Manx to take the one innocent girl he'd ever met and turn her into his own little glorified broodmare. The last time this sort of thing had all gone south Manx had fucking paralyzed a woman, Abe didn't want that happening to Romey.

"I wouldn't be any good at it." The teen told him self-deprecatingly. "And his kids probably wouldn't like me."

The bar owner's head snapped up from his hands. "Romey, you're actually considering this? There is a reason Charlie has never found this bloody girl he's been searching for. She doesn't exist. He's too picky and when he realizes that he gets angry. Jolene found out, Vic McQueen is in the middle of finding out."

"He thought I wasn't the right one at first and he didn't hurt me."

Abe shook his head. "That's not the point-"

"And those other girls clearly did something to him." Abe's unkempt eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I've heard you two talking about Vic McQueen and all the problems she's caused him. You told him to kill her the first night we all met."

A sudden look of realization splashed across Abe's bearded face, like an epiphany. He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Romey," he started softly when he finally returned the glasses to his face and looked up at her once more, "I think I figured out what the cost of your Inscape is." Her brow netted together in a deep but curious furrow. "You can't tell right from wrong any longer, that's why you haven't noticed it. Manx can't either, he's twisted and I think that's happening to you. It's why he thinks you should be their mother."

"Maybe there's just nothing wrong with him." She suddenly snapped defensively.

With a sorrowful expression, Abe rested a large hand on Romey's slender shoulder. "I take it back. You weren't right for him, but you are now."

Romey beamed. "You think I could do it? Be their Mom?"

She continued to grin completely missing the point of what Abe had said. He didn't know where that sweet, young girl that had walked into Parnassus had ended up but she wasn't the girl standing before him.

Not knowing what else to say to Romey he just nodded and let her have the win. Manx had done it, he'd found a mother for all those children … but he'd done it by corrupting what had been a sweet teenage girl.

He turned to leave but Andromeda grabbed him by the arm and forced him back to face her.

"Abe? Are we still friends?"

The elder man breathed out a laugh. "Of course we are."

Yes, Abe hated that Romey wouldn't ever be the same, but he hoped that deep down there was still some of her left, had to be, and when the day came that she saw it Abe was determined to be there to pick up the pieces. One didn't abandon their friends just because jumped off the deep end, if they did then no one would ever make friends. Abe would always be there for Andromeda Dixon.

Romey hugged him tight. "Thanks for helping me, Abe. I think I know what I'm going to tell Charlie, as soon as I figure out how to contact him of course. And I'm sorry I missed work."

~X~

Andromeda hadn't understood what Abe had meant when he'd told her she couldn't differentiate right and wrong, she'd always been the same, wasn't like she'd changed over night. At least from Romey's perspective she hadn't.

She'd gone back to work at Parnassus and lived her life until Charlie had decided he'd left her alone long enough and come traipsing back to see what Romey had decided. That was how she'd ended up being accosted by Manx's giant of a lackey on her way back to her room.

Without warning the pudgy man had just grabbed her by the arm and all but yanked her down towards The Wraith whose headlights shone boldly at her door … her open door.

"Mister Manx?" Anton The Giant's stunt double called out.

He finally released her and Romey nearly tumbled to the ground on her unstable heels. After a second Manx stepped out from her room and into the beams of the headlights. He'd aged again though nowhere near as much as before, this time he'd just gone grey at his temples and had a few deep lines in his face.

"Ahh, Andromeda, there you are." He flashed her a smile. "Please forgive my intrusion into your home but it was Mister Partridge who elected to kick the door in."

She glanced up at Bing with a very unimpressed expression. "Seriously, dude? Did you even knock?"

Bing opened his mouth to answer but he didn't get very far before Manx took over.

"Andromeda, the reason I came was to-" She cut him off.

"To see if I'd made a decision about the whole Mommy thing."

Charlie reached out for her and Romey let him cup her cheek, there was a tenderness in his chocolate orbs that surprised even him.

"You need not put it so bluntly, Andromeda."

Was it Romey's imagination or did Manx seem cautious? Maybe it didn't matter. No, it didn't matter because Romey had made her decision. Ever since her mother had bailed all those years ago she'd been searching for a place to belong, somewhere to call home; it hadn't just been her need but her want. However, now that Romey thought about it, on the night she showed up at Parnassus Charlie had been there as well to speak with Abe. Perhaps her Inscape hadn't taken her to the bar but to Charlie Manx and his Wraith. So, when she snuggled into Manx's blue coat clad chest and let him envelop her in his arms she knew that it didn't matter if she fully understood what had happened or how she'd gotten to this point; her Inscape was never wrong.

"I'll go with you. That's my decision." She whispered against his chest.

"Really?" Manx beamed.

Romey nodded. "Yes, really."

Charlie pulled her away from his chest so he could look into those stunning green eyes of hers, then, after a moment, he placed a loving kiss to her lips and took her hand in his. Her brow furrowed when she felt something cold push onto her finger. A ring, simple but elegant and gold.

"Em-" It was his turn to interrupt.

"If you are to be their mother then you are to be my wife."

Charlie sounded so sure of himself and frankly Romey was done over thinking things so, instead of questioning this sudden step, Romey grinned up at Charlie and kissed him.

"I love you, Andromeda. You are going to be a perfect mother."

"You know what, I think I am."

With an uncharacteristically big smile Manx led Romey over to The Wraith where he glared at Bing to move out the way when he tried to get in the front passenger seat.

"Get in the back, Bing." Manx ordered.

"But-" The chubby man began similarly to how a child would when told they couldn't have a cookie.

"My Lady gets the front seat."

Manx's voice may have been level and calm but the dark glare was the total opposite and it had Bing backing down instantly. Bing stepped aside and clambered into the back seat with a frown on his bearded face. Charlie pulled open the passenger door for Romey who smiled and got in.

"Thank you." He told her honestly. "You won't regret this, Andromeda."

This was it, Christmasland, motherhood and apparently marriage. Had Abe been wrong she'd have seen how strange this all was and have – at the very least – had questions, but Abe wasn't wrong so the seventeen year old rode The Wraith to Christmasland and whatever her future held.

The End.


End file.
